Abstract
An ultrasonic technique was used to determine whether differences in the degree of dispersion of carbon filler in high density polyethylene (HDPE) melts could be identified. Ultrasonic transit time measurements were used to identify differences between three grades of HDPE with different degrees of filler dispersion (designated high, medium and low dispersion). Tests were carried out on static melts (off line) over a range of temperatures and pressures, and during extrusion (inline). Tests carried out on samples of static melt showed a significant increase in ultrasonic transit time for the poorly mixed (low dispersion) sample, compared with the medium and high dispersion samples. Differences measured during off line tests were not observed during extrusion tests.
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